This invention relates to interactive television systems, and more particularly, to interactive television systems such as interactive television program guide systems having customizable FLIP and BROWSE overlays.
Interactive television systems may be used to provide interactive television program guides in which screens of interactive television program listings are presented to users. Pay-per-view and video-on-demand services, web browsing services, games, home shopping, and other interactive features may be provided using interactive television systems.
In known interactive television systems, a user has an in-home set-top box or other equipment with which the user can interact using a remote control or other user input interface. In a computer environment, the user can access interactive television program guide web sites.
Known interactive television program guides allow the user to view program schedule information in overlays that are displayed on top of video for a currently tuned channel. The overlays may include the title, channel, and run time of the television program that is presently being shown on the currently tuned channel. The overlays may also include program schedule information for television programs other than the program that is presently being shown on the currently tuned channel and other information.
However, known program guide overlays are not customizable. The overlays displayed by known interactive television program guides include only information of a global set of information types that is invariably displayed regardless of which television channel is the currently tuned channel.
In view of the foregoing, it would be desirable to provide systems and methods for providing customizable interactive television overlays.